Heated Throttle Grip Tab Broke on Busy Interstate Ramp

mcather

Supercharged
Joined
May 19, 2013
Messages
203
Location
Omahar, Neb
Ride
08 GL1800, 13 R3T, 80 LTD 1000, 70 BSA Lightning
Well, my bike's sitting on the interstate entrance ramp with the throttle cable tab broken. I locked the bike's steering walked home and now I'm waiting for my brother in law and his trailer.
It might be a blown hernia getting' that thing in the the trailer, btw.
This bike is still under warranty. Is this a problem w/ the heated grips?
I might try to cut a slot into the grip to get home but the position on the interstate ramp is rather dangerous.

Should I just go back to regular grips?
Are there better after market grip available?

addendum:
Tried to McGiver the throttle slot and was no go...but bike had enough torque
to idle into the trailer no problem.
I might just forgo the heated grips and go stock
both sides. Are stock grips more reliable? I wonder if these grips are under warranty?
I'm the second owner and am not sure if the heated grips were an add-on.
Cat
 
Last edited:
My Triumph heated grips put on last year did the,same thing. Triumph warranteed them, but I am extremely hesitant ro even turn on the replacements. I now have a Gerbing heated jacket and gloves.
 
In Nebraska, i use the heated grips a lot but

I do have heavy duty warm gloves so having warm hands is not that big a deal.

Don't really need the heated grips.

The bike only has 2500 miles so replacing the heated grips doesn't give me a lot of confidence.

I prefer not to break down on an interstate ramp.

What about the Kury Iso grips? I had them on my Speedy and never had a problem.

I wonder if the regular throttle grips break too?
 
If you search around you will find numerous reports of the same issue. If you replace the grip with the same, the result will be the same. If I lived in a cold climate I'd go with the Gerbing option.

No problems with the stock grip in 30K.
 
A tab on my ISO grips broke after about 50,000km. I'd be prepared to risk them.

I would add, it was immediately after the Tassie trip and some of the most spirited riding I've done.
 
When you say the "throttle tab broke" are you talking about the plastic portion of the handgrip that secures the anchor portion of the cable? If it is set up correctly, the plastic really shouldn't break. With equal force on both sides of the cable anchor, it would take a lot to snap the plastic. How much force are you guys putting into twisting the throttle?

I just installed my heated grips and the plastic anchor is no different from stock. I've also installed Kuryakyn ISO grips on a previous ride and noticed that the anchor plastic is half as thick as the original OEM grips. Was a little concerned about this because I'd heard others had them break. I had no problems putting 40,000kms on them (sold the bike with the grips still going strong).
 
Last edited:
I'm glad yours work.
Apparently the Tbird heated grips share some "failures" also:



I'm not the only one. The bike has 2200 miles. And I don't slam the throttle.
Almost looked like someone took a razor blade and cut it off flush. A smooth extraction.

On the Triumph Heated Grip plastic where the cable end sits it doesn't have the volume as the Kury grip I replaced it with. The composition of Triumph grip plastic seemed pliable rather than hard also.
 
Cheap plastic trash, for several hundred bucks, it's really annoying nickle and diming by Triumph. They cheap out on some stuff that annoys me a lot. Handlebar controls are cheap and butt ugly, for instance. The rear wheel on the R3T too, mine looks atrocious now due to crappy quality coating, corroded and pitted. I may wind up having to get them chromed or something similar to the tune of $6-700 for the pair plus taxes and shipping and customs and lord knows what else, but that's for next winter...

My grips have held together but I haven't needed the heat that much. Yet. But I still carry the non-heated original in the pannier...

It's crazy that they aren't metal or at least have metal inserts to keep stuff like this from happening.
 
Last edited:
After reading the post on the RAT forum, you can see the issue with the throttle tab on one side being under designed. Triumph does have a concern though with adjustment. If you do not have any slack in the cables at the throttle bodies with the throttle at rest maybe because someone has cranked up the tension on both cables, the plastic tab takes all the strain. Probably won't feel a thing until the tab or cable snaps.

Reach down and feel both cables at the throttle bodies. Should have slack. Then twist the throttle a little bit. One cable should tighten up. This is what you want to see. If the cables are adjusted like this and the tab breaks, then Triumph should pay for defective plastic!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Bad Throttle Acuator
Replies
1
Views
98
TURBO200R4
3rd gear slipping on high torque
2
Replies
11
Views
134
TURBO200R4
No Power When Ignition Turned to On
2
Replies
16
Views
559
kipper
Help!! What is happening? I have only 345km on her.
Replies
7
Views
531
Deadeye
TPMS light on R3 GT Consol
Replies
4
Views
329
Scott Taunton
Menu
Log in
Register